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This is the final post on my blog relating to 2017, that year really flew by (don’t worry not going to give the same speech everyone else does).

Differently from an earlier post I have decided, 2018 will have empties posts but not Project Pan posts. This year’s project pans demonstrated that that approach just doesn’t work for me. However, I have found counting empties extremely motivating.

Biore charcoal pore strips (£6.29): These are the only pore strips that I use and the only ones I will recommend.

Patchology Flashmasque illuminate 5 minute facial sheets (£6.00): I am honestly really torn with this one. It was good but it didn’t wow me so I think for now I won’t be purchasing the big box.

Sephora rose face mask (£4.81): This one is the better out of the two hydrating sheet masks Sephora does. It leaves the skin soft and I would say for the price I would purchase it again.

L’Oreal fine flowers normal to combination skin cleansing wipes (£1.95): These ones are better than the ones for dry skin which I wasn’t expecting. The scent is still floral and quite strong so I wouldn’t recommend for those with sensitive skin. Overall, these are okay but they aren’t my first choice.

Garnier moisture bomb (£7.99): This moisturiser is okay but it isn’t supposed to be used near the eye area, and that suggests it’s not good for sensitive skin. I will not repurchase this as it isn’t hydrating enough for my skin type.

Superdrug 50 cotton wool oval pads (£1.99) and PS…Love this 100 oval cosmetic pads (90p): I purchased and used up the Superdrug ones when I couldn’t get my hands on the PS ones. Those of you that regularly read my empties posts will know that I only use cotton pads other than the PS ones when I can’t get my hands on them. Really cheap and more for your money, what more could you want.

Glossier milky jelly cleanser sample (FREE): This is a super gentle cleanser that I think is good for those that only want to cleanse their skin and use targeted products afterwards for their other needs. I have got the full size now and haven’t tried it enough to have a solid opinion but I do stand by my statement above.

The Body Shop Spiced Apple shower gel 250ml (£2.50): This has a great scent for around the Christmas season and I have a 50 ml bottle still in my collection. I am interested in trying out other scents from the Body Shop, as I enjoy the fact the formula is slightly on the thicker side. Giving it a more expensive feel.

The final totals for 2017 are 294 items at a retail value of £1669.08! I am very proud of those figures. For 2016 I achieved 172 items at £691.19, which is astronomically different to this year. I don’t think the 2018 figures will be more than 2017 but I can hope they will be similar.

This is the second update for my 2017 Project Pan. The products added to the project pan mentioned in this post will have their own post showing the start points and explaining the reasons why I am panning them.

Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in ‘Cricket’:

The Laura Mercier product was in an empties posts so the only product left from this original photo is the Colourpop shadow in ‘Cricket’.

I am having really difficulty using this shadow as during the summer it isn’t really a shade I would use. Therefore, I am going to remove it from my project pan and reintroduce it in the late Autumn/ Winter.

I have decided to replace this with the Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in ‘Glow’. This is a matte cream shade that I personally use to carve under my brows with, because it makes them look cleaner but it is more on the natural side. I find that applying this all over the lid doesn’t work well for me, it just clings to dry patches and almost cracks (even though I moisturise every morning). Therefore, I am looking forward to using this one up. I understand that at $5 this is a very affordable product but I don’t feel that you need to purchase this shade in comparison to all the other beautiful ones Colourpop has. I got this one in the Kathleenlights In the Light quad with my first ever Colourpop order, but I wouldn’t repurchase this shade.

I have done really well on the concealer as evident in the comparison photos above. It is really difficult to tell when I am going to finish this, but it has become more and more difficult to get the product out.

I have decided that I am going to throw out the Sleek Contour Kit in Light once I have hit pan on the contour shade, as it is a very old product. I would repurchase this as I think that it is good quality for the price but I just don’t need it in my collection at the moment. I am hoping to have hit pan on it by the next update in a few months.

MAC Toledo Collection Lipglass in ‘Oxblood’ and Stila Stay all day liquid lipstick in ‘Perla’:

The Maybelline lipstick was in an empties post, so only two products from the original photo remain.

The Stila liquid lipstick mini in the shade ‘Perla’ looks as though no progress has been made but I swear I have used this a lot. I think it is time to give this shade a break for a while and pick it up again in the winter, since it does have more of that mauve edge to it.

The MAC Toledo collection lipglass in ‘Oxblood’ is showing a little progress. I do really enjoy this shade it is just on the older side so this is going to continue to be in my project pan for the remainder of the year.

To replace the Maybelline lipstick and the Stila liquid lipstick I am adding to my project pan the Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip in ‘Times Square’ and the NYX Matte lipstick in ‘Natural’.

MAC Eyeshadow in ‘Vanilla’ and REVLON Shadowlink in ‘Sand’:

The orangey Revlon shade was decluttered in my last Project Pan update, leaving the two remaining shadows.

I have decided to declutter the Revlon ‘Sand’ shade as it is very old and I tried to apply it the other day but it has been reduced to slightly coloured glitter.

The MAC eyeshadow in ‘Vanilla’ will remain in my project pan as it is easy to incorporate into looks. I will not repurchase this once finishing it as I don’t see why anyone should spend £10 on a cream single eyeshadow.

I am going to add the MAC eyeshadows in ‘Jest’ and ‘Sweet Lust’ to bring it back up to three powder shadows again.

I am going to do a post very soon with photos of the starting points for the newly added items.

Part 1 of this month’s empties brought me over 1oo empties. My next project pan goal is to reach 150 empties.

Also, I start my full time apprenticeship tomorrow so I don’t know when certain posts will be coming out. I was thinking maybe doing two months worth of products at once, like a October & November empties post. Let me know in the comments whether you would like that or whether you prefer these posts monthly.

Hits:

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge (£5.99) – This had to go because I could no longer get all the dirt out of it and the sponge’s pores became very large. Saying that I have repurchased it as I prefer to use this sponge under my eyes rather than my beauty blender because of the flat oval edge.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick sample in Red Carpet Red (FREE) – This is the final Charlotte Tilbury lipstick sample that I had. As I mentioned before in a empties post, I love this colour and formula. If I didn’t already have so many red lip products I would probably purchase the full size.

Seventeen Falsifeye HD! mascara in blackest black (£6.99) – I really enjoyed this mascara as it both lengthened and separated my lashes. What I mainly look for in a mascara is length rather than volume and this mascara gave me some of the longest lashes I have ever achieved. It is one of my favourite drugstore mascaras and I will repurchase after I have tried out some others that I have in mind.

L’oreal Recital Preference hair dye in refined brown (£6.00) – I have gone back to dying my hair for the winter and this product turns my hair such a lovely cooled toned brown. I have never had a problem with this product so I really recommend it.

AVON Anew lip plumping conditioner (£9.00) – I would apply this to my lips before bed to ensure that when I woke up my lips were nice and hydrated. It filled in the natural lines on my lips which made it great to apply before liquid lipstick since those are typically quite drying products. Next time I need a lip treatment it will be a strong contender.

AVON Care Intensive relief lip treatment (£1.10) – This lip balm was really basic everyday product in terms of being scentless and having basic packaging. However, this was more hydrating than expected. Whilst I won’t repurchase this product it is in my hits because if you like basic scentless lip balms, that are affordable I would recommend this to you to try out.

The middle ground:

AVON Clearskin blackhead clearing daily astringent (£2.50) – I used this as a toner after cleansing (not sure if that is what you are supposed to do but oh well). This is in the middle ground because I cannot say for sure that this cleared my blackheads, but I haven’t had very many during using this product. Therefore, I probably won’t repurchase as I couldn’t see prominent results.

TRESemme Beauty-Full Volume pre-wash conditioner sample x2 (FREE) and TRESemme Beauty-Full Volume shampoo sample x2 (FREE) – I got these four samples from two different magazines, ELLE and Marie Claire. It has the regular TRESemme hair product scent and my hair was in good condition after using it. I liked the concept of a reverse system but truthfully I didn’t experience an increased amount of volume in my hair. I don’t know whether it was because I have really thick hair or not but I won’t be purchasing the full sizes.

Miss:

KIKO Milano cleansing pure clean make up removing wipes (£1.70) – I have a makeup wipe obsession so I have tried many different brands. I can safely say these are the worst makeup wipes I have ever tried. These burned my eyes and dried them out. It took quite a while to actually take my eye makeup off. I highly DON’T recommend these.

That concludes the August empties making a total of 20 products used in August. Bringing the overall empties total to 114 and the total empties worth to £506.93!

This post is going to be based around a challenge that Vegas.com set me. To participate I just had to share with you my day to night eye look transformation tips for a glamorous place like Las Vegas. Quick disclaimer: These are all my own tips and products used, I was simply inspired by the challenge.

The challenge: I was challenged to create a post that showed how to transition a makeup look from day to night, inspired by one of their resorts. The resort that I chose was the GREEN VALLEY RANCH RESORT AND SPA. My reasoning behind this was that it has a great rating, looks incredible and the location means that whilst you are close to the Las Vegas Strip you aren’t surrounded by the crowds. With all that is available at this resort, it is exactly the location I would choose when vacationing in Vegas.

Package deals:

If you are looking into prices for travelling to and staying in Las Vegas, check out the Deals page on Vegas.com. There are many amazing shows, tours and hotels that can be booked through this section of the website.

Day look:

I wanted this look to be wearable by the pool and at the spa, yet still be naturally glamorous with a summer lip colour. With this in mind I created the look shown below. This makeup will hold up till it is time to switch to the evening look and keep you selfie ready in the hot Vegas weather.

Step 1 – Primer and foundation: I took a pea size amount of the porefessional primer and smoothed it into my skin using my fingers, concentrating on the T-Zone and blending towards the outside of my face. Then, I took the Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H foundation and dotted it around my face. Using a damp beauty blender, I bounced the product into my skin.

Step 2 – Concealer: I used the Collection lasting perfection concealer in fair to conceal any breakouts that I had. Then, I applied the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer in fair neutral in inverted triangles to conceal and highlight my under eye area. Both concealers were bounced in with a beauty blender.

Step 3 – Highlighter and powder: Using the applicator on the high lights by Technic (which is a dupe for Benefits high beam) I applied the product to the tops of my cheeks, bridge of my nose and cupids bow. After blending the product in with the beauty blender, I applied a light layer of the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in translucent using a fluffy brush to set my face. Tip: Press the powder into the skin rather than swirling the brush, as the prevents the product underneath from moving.

Step 4 – Bronzer and blush: Using the fourth shade in the Anastasia Beverly Hills contour kit in light to medium, I bronzed my cheeks and under my chin. Then, I applied the MAC mineralize blush in dainty on the apples of my cheeks and using my powder brush I made sure all the cheek products were blended.

Step 5 – Eyebrows and eye primer: Firstly, I combed through my eyebrows to shape them and then applied the Anastasia Beverly Hills dip brow pomade in dark brown using an angled brush to fill my brows in. Using less product and a lighter hand towards the front of my brows to create a more natural effect. I chose this product because it stays on all day. Secondly, I applied the Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel to set my brows as this product keeps them completely in place. Next, I applied the Too Faced Shadow Insurance on my eyelids using my fingers to blend it in.

Step 6 – Eyeshadow: This is a really simple eye look that uses only three eyeshadows. First, I took the shade limit from the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette and buffed that into my crease. Then use a mid tone brown, I used MAC Kid, and apply it lightly into the crease to add definition. Finally, add the shade strange from the same palette all over the eyelid.

Step 7 -Eyeliner and mascara: I applied a thin line of the Too Faced Sketch Marker eyeliner in black along the lash line. To finish off the eyes I curled my lashes and then applied the Jordana Best Lash Extreme volumising mascara in black.

Extra Step: An extra step that can be taken depending on your preferences is applied a setting spray to increase the longevity of your makeup

Night look:

This look was inspired by the 55,000 square-foot casino, nightlife and the concept of an evening in Las Vegas.

Step 1 – Touch ups: You will need to touch up your concealer and powder at this point on areas of your face that the makeup has naturally worn away. Typically, this will be your T-zone area. Use a Q-tip to remove any smudged eye makeup around the eye area and under the lower lash line.

Step 2 – Contour and highlight: I used the shade fawn from the same contour kit as before and applied it right into the hollows of my cheeks. Then, I applied the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked highlighter in peach lights over the areas I highlighted before. Tip: Spritz your brush with MAC Fix + before dipping into your highlighter to intensify your glow.

Step 3 – Eyeshadow: I used 3 eyeshadows to transition my eye look from day to night. Firstly, I highlighted my brow bone and inner corner with Moon mist from the Soap and Glory Perfect ten palette which unfortunately was limited edition. Then, I packed Nooner from the Naked 3 palette onto my outer v and under my lower lash line. Finally, I used the shade dust from the palette on the rest of the eyelid. I also added mascara to the lower lashes.

Step 6 – Lipstick: The lipstick I used was Gubby by Urban Decay. Tip: If you have a light pinky nude liquid lipstick that you love, wear that instead because liquid lipsticks are more long wearing.

Extra steps: False lashes can be applied to create an extremely glam look. Also, instead of the shade dust you could use a light pink glitter.

So that is it you guys, thank you for reading this post. I hope this helped you figure out how to transition your makeup from day to night. Thank you again to Vegas.com for coming up with this cool challenge. See you guys next time in my monthly empties post!

You have probably realised by now that I am absolutely obsessed with skincare, make up and fragrance. Whilst that is beneficial to you guys who I do reviews for and those who view my Instagram account, it doesn’t benefit my purse. So this year I decided to become super dedicated to using up my products and purchasing less. This is easier said than done. I feel as though every time I enter a shop that sells make up I have to purchase something. You guys understand the struggle.

I also wanted to see how many products I was using up per year, what sort of products I used up the most and how much it all cost. So, in January this year, I create a list of all my empties. As shown in the picture below:

Explanation- Each time I finish a product I write down the date, full name of the product, whether it was a project pan item (as shown for first product on list (PPL) that was a project pan lips item), and how much it cost me. At the bottom of each page I will have a running total of the amount of items I have used up and how much it all cost.

I have found that this has given me a better insight into how effectively I have used my money and makes me think about future purchases more. If any of you are currently doing empties challenges or project pans then I strongly recommend that you try doing this to keep track.

This month I managed to finish 8 items, one of which was in my project pan lips edition. 2 down, 8 to go. I feel as though by doing these posts and project pans I make a lot smarter decisions when purchasing new products products. I have a post on this blog for anyone interested in how toprojectpan.

The first product I finished this year was the Revlon lip butter in pink lemonade. This was the item in my project pan lips edition. I really love the creamy formula and pigmentation of this product but the colour was the reason behind why I wanted to finish this. I won’t repurchase this shade but I will definitely look into others.

Another lip product I finished was the Maybelline Babylips in Peach Kiss. I love Babylips they are really hydrating and affordable. However, I won’t repurchase this specific one because I don’t like the scent. There is just something off and artificial about it.

I received a sample of the it’s potent eye cream by Benefit with a purchase. This eye cream is amazingly hydrating and I already own the full size pot. Although this product is more on the expensive side at £25.50.

No7 quick thinking wipes. You guys already know that I like these. I still haven’t decided whether they are worth the £7.00 price tag though.

Sensodyne pronamel toothpaste. I don’t know which variation of it I bought but I just know that I really dislike it. The tube makes it really difficult to get out and it just tastes bad compared to other toothpastes.

Soft cotton wool pleat by Soft & Pure and the Boots cosmetic oval pads. In comparison I would say I prefer cotton pads to cotton wool, I just found that the wool leaves pieces of fluff all over my face.

The final empty is the L’oreal Preference hair dye. I love this product. It leaves my hair in great condition and gives me the perfect cool toned shade that I want.

Sadly I don’t think there will be that many empties next month 😞 but I hope to finish some more project pan items within the next 2 months 😊